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Ringette team has long run in West Coast Classic Tournament

Ridge Meadows squad takes its game to a new level
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The Port Coquitlam Ridge Meadows Ringette Association under-14B team were finalists in the 2019 West Coast Classic tournament in Richmond. (Contributed)

Last weekend the Port Coquitlam Ridge Meadows Ringette Association under-14 B team participated in the West Coast Classic Tournament in Richmond, and finished in the final.

The event hosts 60 teams from all over B.C. and Alberta, from the under-10 to masters age groups.

The local team’s roster includes three under-age players, a new player still learning to skate, and players with disabilities. The only boy on the team is the goaltender, and he is under age.

This weekend the team began with a 5-3 loss to Kelowna. Its second game against Fraser Valley was a tough one against a big team, with a goaltender who fills the net and that was another 3-1 loss.

Then the local team started to hit its stride.

The next day opened with a 9-2 win, followed by a 3-0 victory over a Comox team that had a huge goaltender, who was still taller than the net on his knees.

“I don’t think anyone anticipated that we would have any luck getting by him,” said Kathy Sugden, a grandparent watching the tourney.

The two wins brought another game, a semi-final against undefeated Kelowna on Sunday at 8 a.m.

“I have been watching my granddaughter play this game for a number of years, and never have I seen a team come together and with grit and determination,” said Sugden, as they took on a team that had beaten them already in the tournament on Friday.

With four minutes to go, the local team took a lead, and managed to hold it until the final buzzer for a 3-2 win.

Next up was the Burnaby/New West team, which is known for being very fast. Burnby went up 2-0, but the PCRMRA team managed to tie the game. The Burnaby squad took the lead again, 3-2, and the local team again tied it up. But the local girls, having played six games in three days, showed fatigue down the stretch, and lost the game 5-3.

“The girls still walked away happy as they had achieved a new level in their game,” said Sugden. “Every player needs to be so proud of themselves with the way they banded together and proved successful.”



Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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